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How early

I used to get into my stand an hour before shooting light. Lots of wasted time doing that. Now I walk in when I can see well enough I don't need a flashlight....
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
If im going to a treestand... 45 min ish

A blind... 1 hour minimum Then Ill take a cat nap on floor until close to go time.

OK... some will laugh about this.... but i'm dead serious. If it's quiet and crunchy.... as you approach your spot. RUN. The Cadence of human footsteps is pretty easy to pick out. If you run, shuffle feet, etc you can sound not like human. I'm convinced this helps.
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I feel like this may be sarcasm
 
Cat is out of the bag. For dead calm and crunchy...occasional grunts the whole way to the stand and go between stomping like an elephant and galloping like a horse about 30-15 mins before legal shooting. Every deer within ear shot will come by within the first hour. This also works for getting back out in the dark. I give a couple coyote calls about 200 yards before i reach my truck as last year i had multiple times deer spook when i unlocked my truck from following me out. It is stupid how well it works.
 
I heard a guy on the Land Podcast claim he gets away with using a very bright headlamp and can walk right by and up to deer. I'm guessing since the deer can't see his outline they aren't spooked. He hunts unpressured ground in Decatury County, IA so that might be a factor. Either way, I bought one and am experimenting. So far I sent some does running when biking by a cornfield.
 
Obsessed said:
I never use a light to walk in. No matter how dark it is.
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Interesting. Maybe I am ruining every hunt I go on but I'll use a headlamp for most of my walk in. Full white beam pointed right at the ground and oriented so that my feet, arms, body, bow, gear, etc. all stay out of the light. Switch to red when I get to the tree but will climb without if i have enough moon light.

You all have almost certainly killed way more and way bigger deer than I ever have and I haven't tagged out in 2023 yet so maybe it would serve me well to do what you guys do but this is my logic:

Deer see better at night and low light than we do. I tried going lightless when I started hunting but I'd step on every stick, walk into every thorn bush, and trip on every root sticking out of the ground all the way to the tree. I felt the noise I was making, even when trying to move slow and methodically, was more damaging.

So I started using a light. Now I'm not bouncing the beam through the whole timber, just looking straight out ahead 4-5 feet in front of me. Do I come upon deer sometimes, yes. But I feel pretty strongly I'm no worse and I'd even argue better off with the light. You know the phrase "deer in the headlights"? That's how I'd describe it. They act unsure of what they're seeing. The light itself is what they seem to focus on or can't seem to "see around" for lack of a better phrase. I've walked right past deer by pointing the beam right in their face. I've had rutting bucks walk right by me (they're horny and not thinking straight, I realize). Couple years ago while blood trailing a doe after dark, I came face to face with a stud of a buck.. probably a 165-170 ten, again acting unsure of what was in front of him. He even walked closer and got within 20-30 yards before turning and kind bouncing off. Not at Mach 10 or anything, just seemed unsure.

Like I said above, I also feel like I can move more quietly through the woods when I can see.

Again, I'm a terrible hunter so I'm probably wrong but just what I've experienced. Curious if anyone else does this or if I'm the only idiot shooting free throws backwards?
 
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MN Slick said:
I heard a guy on the Land Podcast claim he gets away with using a very bright headlamp and can walk right by and up to deer. I'm guessing since the deer can't see his outline they aren't spooked. He hunts unpressured ground in Decatury County, IA so that might be a factor. Either way, I bought one and am experimenting. So far I sent some does running when biking by a cornfield.
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Ok, so I'm not the only one!
 
Agree with using no light. Never use one. I know some guys that use green lights. They claim deer can't see them.

Another point. I like to clear ground near stands or blinds. Rakes or blow them out with leaf blower. Ensure there are no sticks to snap.
 
There’s no sticks to snap until the next windy day. I agree with taking every precaution but it’s an effort in futility.

I’ll add this. When I was a young hunter in a different state you absolutely walked in with a light as a precaution to not being shot in gun season. Iowa doesn’t have the pressure but in gun season a light is a must from a safety standpoint. You never know whose in your timber. I’ve kicked out several Amish who thought I wasn’t there.
 
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Do to a 45 min drive, then getting dressed in the field, and not liking getting out of bed I tend to go into stand during that gray phase or slightly before. No lights. Every once in while I'll bump a deer but not a huge problem. I try to use ridges in the field and the terrain best I can. My biggest issue busting deer out is crossing fields after evening hunts in the dark.
 
I'd like to be set up in the dark, but usually end up in that early gray light time frame. Mostly due to getting those last few minutes of sleep I can. I feel like I can typically move a light faster/quieter in the gray light as well.
 
For AM hunts I like to be in the stand an hour before shooting light. I enjoy watching and listening to the world wake up. I always have my headlamp on my head, but rarely have to use it because I know my routes and have the obstacles memorized. I also mainly hunt public land, so I like to beat everyone in, and then I usually stay late to take advantage of anyone bumping deer walking out. The fewer people that know who I am, and where I'm hunting the better. :)
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
If im going to a treestand... 45 min ish

A blind... 1 hour minimum Then Ill take a cat nap on floor until close to go time.

OK... some will laugh about this.... but i'm dead serious. If it's quiet and crunchy.... as you approach your spot. RUN. The Cadence of human footsteps is pretty easy to pick out. If you run, shuffle feet, etc you can sound not like human. I'm convinced this helps.
Click to expand...
Well during the rut it don’t matter what time you get there.
 
I walked in probably 45min before light today and had deer walking under me in the dark. A lot of it is luck and timing, but I think those deer would have spotted me if everything was the same but it was lighter
 
kelcher said:
I walked in probably 45min before light today and had deer walking under me in the dark. A lot of it is luck and timing, but I think those deer would have spotted me if everything was the same but it was lighter
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I don't know..... deer can run 148 mph through the timber in dead darkness and not crash into trees. How could they not see me in the dark? I favor quiet over anything. Yes, I've leaf blown the entire path to my stand. Wife thinks I'm nuts!
 
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